Dear Mikey
by PennedPiper
Summary: "Dear Mikey, we miss you. It's been one week, 3 days, 5 hours, and 17 minutes since we last saw you. Raph doesn't seem to be... there anymore. And Donatello... I think we lost him the day we lost you." After a brother is taken away, how will the others cope? Multi-chapter.
1. Missing You

_I own none of the characters present._

"_Dear Mikey, we miss you. It's been one week, 3 days, 5 hours, and 17 minutes since we last saw you. Sensei is trying to cope with loosing another child. April's still trying to overcome the shock. Raph doesn't seem to be... there, anymore. He doesn't leave your room, we have to force food down his throat, much like Donnie. Donatello... I think we lost him the day we lost you. He still believes you're alive, mumbling something about portals, alternate dimensions, and computers. He should know that even mutant turtles couldn't survive that blast. I suppose it's ironic... We always wanted you to be quiet, and leave us alone... Now we're realizing I, we, took you for granted. Otouto, why did you have to go? We... I miss you. I miss your crazy creations, your pranks, your annoying music, and I miss your sunshine. It's dark now. Why did you have to go? -Love, Leonardo."_

* * *

Placing his pencil on the desk with a shaky hand, he carefully folded up the tear-stained letter, sealing it gently, signing his baby brother's name in beautiful calligraphy. A sob caught in the leader's throat, as he reached up to cover his eyes. He let a few choked breaths escape before he somewhat regained his composure, taking the letter into his hand. Leonardo managed to stumble into the dojo, kneeling in front of the small shrine. He brushed his fingers over the picture of Michelangelo, straightening the orange mask that rested on the shrine, lighting the two orange candles. He lit the neatly-written letter on fire, setting it in the small porcelain bowl that sat there. He watched the flames lick at the ink and paper, finally letting the sobs he had been hiding out.

"_Otouto,_" He whimpered, sucking in a breath. "_Anata ga daisuki._" He pressed a shaking kiss to his fingertips, touching them to the picture of his lost brother. "_Gomen nasai._"

* * *

Leo walked the silent perimeter of the lair, passing Donatello's lab, hearing the nonsensical murmuring from within.

"Donnie," He whispered tiredly, pushing the door open. "you need to sleep."

"No, Leo!" The olive turtle said hysterically. "I've almost figured it out! We can get Mikey back." Deep blue eyes closed, waiting for the wave of pain to pass.

"Donnie, it _kills _me to say this-"

"Not this again!" The brown-eyed turtle snapped. "Mikey's gonna be fine!"

"Donatello," Leonardo said, a little more firmly this time. "Michelangelo is gone. You should know as well as anyone." His voice got softer as he continued. "I'm not loosing another little brother to something I _can _prevent. Like hunger and exhaustion, for example." Donnie shook his head, and the blue turtle took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was about to say. "How can you help our little brother if your exhausted and starving?" He felt his heart shatter, but he knew it was the only thing he could do besides knocking his brother out and putting him on a feeding tube.

"You're right, Leo." Donnie said finally. A pained smile stretched across the elder's face.

"There's some leftovers in the fridge."

* * *

Leo slumped down into the pit, chin hitting his plastron. He felt a presence beside him and looked over to see the disheveled appearance of April O'Neil. Her bloodshot blues met his, and his arms wordlessly opened, the redhead diving into them, sobbing her eyes out.

"I miss him." Leo didn't respond, only holding her tightly, his own tears making their appearance once more. His eyes looked up to the heavens as he released a breath heavy with sorrow. He held the sobbing girl, his heart breaking further at seeing a once strong girl so broken. Never in his life had he believed in angels. Now, he was begging to whatever deity would listen that he was wrong.

* * *

He decided to meditate in front of his baby brother's shrine to try and find his peace so he could put his family back together, but found that someone had beaten him to it. Splinter knelt before his youngest's shrine, his uneven breathing telling of his light meditation trance. Being as silent as possible, Leonardo sat down beside his father, not saying a word. The rat peeked his eye open, lifting an arm to wrap around his son's shoulders, as the strongest ones of the Hamato clan mourned for their baby. Leo leaned into his father, lower lip quivering.

"Too young..." He whimpered. "I wanted to see him grow up..." Splinter squeezed him.

"I understand, my son." His eyes drifted to the picture of his youngest son, remembering times of his childhood. "I understand."

* * *

The eldest mutant teen lay awake that night. He felt the shards that remained of his heart clench when he heard Raphael's guttural sobs from Michelangelo's room. Taking a cleansing breath, the leader sat up, pulling the covers off of him. Not having the strength to lift his feet, he dragged himself over to their baby brother's room, inching the door open.

"Raphael." He whispered, sitting on the bed beside the usually hotheaded turtle. His response was rasping breaths. Nudging the younger ninja aside, he eased himself into the bed, pulling his immediate younger sibling close as sobs racked his body.

"Mikey..." The green-eyed terrapin said brokenly, curling close to his only older brother. "Why did it have to be him...?" Leonardo silently stroked the back of his neck until the crying turtle fell asleep.

"I don't know, Raph." He whispered to his sleeping sibling.

* * *

_Dear Mikey, We miss you._


	2. Loosing You

_I own none of the characters within_

_Dear Mikey, You've been gone for a week, six days, 12 hours, and 45 minutes. Almost two weeks. Feels longer. I'm trying my best to try to piece our family together, otouto, and I've also tried to come to terms with the loss of you. However, my dreams are haunted by the day we lost you... I can't help but blame myself..._

* * *

"Remember, guys, this is a delicate situation." Leonardo cautioned, as him and his three brothers crawled in the ventilation shafts.

"I agree with Leo on this one. The equipment in there is sensitive so we have to _remain focussed_," A look was shot to the oblivious Michelangelo. "and try not to _start a fight_," Another glare was sent in Raphael's direction. Green eyes rolled sarcastically.

"Whatever you say." They gently removed a vent, peeking down into the room below them.

"Is that...?" Donnie trailed off in amazement.

"No way!" Leo whispered urgently. "They have _another _one?" A familiar looking device was nested in the room they were perching above. It was much smaller than the previous model, but most likely just as powerful and more heavily guarded.

"Another portal?" Mikey let out a quiet groan. "Can't they give a turtle a break?"

"Guess not." Raph murmured, before turning to his elder brother. "Got a plan, chief?" Mikey whispered something absent-mindedly, not really realizing he was saying it.

"I've got a bad feeling." Donnie set a comforting hand on the little shoulder.

"You always get bad feelings." He said helpfully, as he scanned the room with his eyes.

"This one's different." A shiver went down his spine. "I feel like something really, _really bad _is gonna happen. It's like the fore... four somethings... something about a boat?"

"Foreboding?" Leo supplied, also looking at the room closely. "I'm sure you'll be fine." The youngest let out an uneasy sigh. "Donnie, those control panels. They look important." Donatello's eyes followed his elder brother's finger, a grin slowly growing on his face.

"Indeed they do, my blue-garbed brother." Raphael, catching on to where the conversation was going, and feeling very bored, piped in.

"You've got explosives right?" Donnie tugged at his bag strap, humming proudly with his chin in the air. "Let's blow the place sky high."

* * *

There was too many. Too many miscalculations. Too many mistakes. Too many underestimations. Too many Kraang droids. The fours boys were fighting for their lives, trying to escape the room that could very well spell their doom. The explosives had been locked and ready without a hitch, which was a strange thing. Not a guard in sight, no alarms... Then, it all broke loose, sirens screeching, weapons whistling, and the clock was counting down. The friendly ticking on Donnie's T-Phone reminding them they had only minutes to spare. By some miracle, they managed to get up to high ground, and things were starting to look up. They had to be careful with laser fire, for it could set the delicate equipment aflame. That meant each fire of a rifle was inches from their noses.

"Almost there, guys!" Leo shouted encouragingly. Then, just as the clock was ticking to the final minute, and three out of the four of them were up on the window ledge, trying to pull their smallest up, a droid seemed to have impeccable aim that day. It hit right between the scutes of Mikey's shell, piercing the strong bone armor, and his face twisted with pain as another lucky shot was fired. He cried out as his arms were hit next, and he could no longer reach his brothers, falling, down, down, down, as the clock went tick, tick, tick. However, before he fell, he managed to kick the window ledge in, causing all of them landing safely in the dumpster outside the building, the lid closing just as the explosion occurred. Raph was screaming.

"No! _Mikey! _We have to go back! We left out brother _behind! _Our _baby brother! _We have to save him-!" Leonardo jerked the two of them into his arms, cradling his little brothers as they all sobbed out their hurt. They didn't care that the dumpster smelled horrible. After the shrapnel stopped raining on their makeshift bunker, they timidly opened the door, pained cries escaping their throats at what they saw. The building was in ruins, and what was left of the portal they had seen before was gone. As with their brother. No remains. Nothing. Leonardo stepped forward, bending down to pick up something buried under shrapnel. It was half of their youngest's _nunchaku. _Falling to his knees the eldest let out sorrow-filled howl, cradling the _nunchaku _to his chest. Raphael stumbled over, clumsily wrapping his arms around their eldest, while Donatello shook his head, staring ahead blankly.

"We..." Leo's voice was hoarse. "We need to tell _sensei_."

* * *

Splinter had been waiting anxiously for them at the lair, along with April. Their faces lit up when they saw them, until they came into the light, battle-scarred and lacking one.

"My sons..." Their _sensei _whispered softly. "Where is your brother...?" His tone spoke of hesitation, almost as if he already knew the answer to his own question. Leo sucked in a breath, unable to speak, as he shook his head mutely. April had gasped, hands coming up to cover her mouth in shock.

"No..." She whimpered. Raph, who was teetering on the edge, finally broke down, cowering into his father's arms. His sobs were gut-wrenching and painful, but Splinter held his volatile son close. He pulled his eldest closer, and the red-headed human guided a numb Donatello by his hand, and they all sobbed their hearts out that night, save for the genius turtle, who merely mumbled nonsense under his breath.

* * *

That night, Donnie didn't sleep. He merely kept himself up in his lab, ignoring everyone. Not even Splinter or April could coax him out. Raphael couldn't sleep in his room, so he found himself dragging himself to his baby brother's room, tucking himself in the bed that smelled of Michelangelo, sobbing under his breath, clutching a pillow close, trying avidly to pretend that it was Mikey, and that the little turtle would start complaining soon. Leonardo sat awake, papers and ink spread around him as he began to write...

* * *

_Dear Mikey, you've been gone for only 4 hours, and it already feels like hell. Come back to us Mikey. We need you. I can feel our bonds being torn apart... Please Mikey... Come back..._


	3. Living Without You

_I own none of the characters present._

"_Leo!" _The blue-banded turtle jerked out of his meditation, grabbing his head, as he heard the voice of his baby brother screaming his name. He wiped at his eyes, burying his face in his hands.

"Leonardo," His father's voice startled him. "Is something wrong?"

"I... Heard him, sensei." The blue-banded leader whispered. "He sounded scared." He looked up at his teacher. "What...?"

"I felt a disturbance as well, my son." Splinter seemed stronger than he had in a while. "I do not wish to jump to conclusions, my son." He wilted slightly. "It could be our minds playing tricks on us." Leonardo nodded solemnly.

"_Hai_, _Sensei_." His eyes darted to the shrine in the corner. The blue-eyed gaze snapped back to the four-fingered hand held out to him. He took the hand as his father pulled him up.

"Go get your brothers. I think it is about time we try to bring our family back together."

* * *

Raphael was out of Mikey's room for once. He rested his head on the counter, with Spike close by. He slowly fed lettuce to the non-mutant turtle.

"Do you miss him, Spike?" He whispered quietly. "Mikey, I mean." He shifted slightly, turning the leaf over in his hand. "Chew on your leaf if you miss Mikey." He held it out, sniffling pathetically when the little turtle took a bite. "I-I had so many things I wanted to say to him, Spike. I just... wasn't brave enough to." He buried his face into the crook of his elbow, shoulders shaking with his suppressed cries. His breath hitched when he felt a tiny head butt against his arm. "I wish I could've just talked to him. Just one last time."

"Raph." The green eyed turtle jumped, turning to the door, where Leo stood. "We're thinking about doing something together... You know, try to stand back up." Blue eyes drifted off to the side. "He... wouldn't want this."

"Okay." Raphael said softly, placing his small turtle onto his shoulder. His eyes drifted off towards the lab. "Donnie?"

"I'm gonna try and get him. He..." He closed his eyes, swallowing thickly. "He still believes Michelangelo is still with us. Just lost." He reached over and squeezed the muscular mutant's shoulder. "Go sit with father. I can deal with this."

"Thank you, Leo. For... everything." The red-banded terrapin whispered, suddenly bringing his only big brother into an embrace.

"I can't lose anyone else." The eldest murmured, returning the hug, and pressing a chaste kiss to the top of his immediate younger brother's head. "Go. I'll meet up with you later."

* * *

"Donatello?" Leo looked around the lab. "Donnie?"

"It's not _working!_" The leading turtle jumped back as various mechanical parts flew past him. "_Nothing's working!_" Donnie was knelt in front of a large machine, pulling parts from it, unintelligible notes surrounding him.

"Donnie?" The genius turtle turned, bloodshot eyes wild.

"I found him, Leo, I really did!" He sounded hysterical. "Then this _stupid _thing broke and I can't find him!"

"Donatello." He knelt beside his younger brother. "You _need _to understand. Michelangelo. Is. Not. Here."

"I know that! He's trapped! I need to save him!" Donnie insisted, trying to pull himself from the katana-wielder's grip.

"Donnie. Mikey's passed on." Brown eyes were wide as the tallest turtle shook his head.

"No, no!" He scrambled backwards. "Mikey's okay! I know it!" His breathing was erratic. "The portal..."

"You know he couldn't have survived those shots, Donnie." Leonardo crawled closer to Donnie. "Even if he did, I doubt he could've done any better in Dimension X."

"He's gone...?" The tears that the genius had yet to shed were finally falling down his face freely. "Mikey's... Not coming back?"

"I'm afraid not, Donnie." Leo said gently. "Come on, Raph is waiting with father." He draped the lanky arm over his shoulder, dragging the sobbing Donatello to the dojo, where Splinter and Raphael knelt beside their little one's shrine. A wail escaped the genius turtle. The broken family curled close together, mourning the loss of their smallest.

_Dear Mikey, It's been two weeks, three days, 5 hours, and 45 minutes. I think we're finally taking steps towards standing back up on our own two feet again. We miss you, but I know that you wouldn't want us to limp around like this. We love you, Michelangelo._

_Love, your family._

* * *

.

.

.

.

.

* * *

Consciousness came to him slowly, and he blinked his crusty eyes tiredly. It took him 3 seconds to realize that he wasn't home. He sat up in his bed quickly, hissing as he felt a tremendous pain in his back and torso. Letting out a small cry, his panicked eyes whipped around at the strange place around him. Trying to get up, he felt something restrain him. Tearing the tubes from his arms painfully, he jumped up, trying to limp out the doors. He heard voices around him, as strange-looking people tried to swarm him. He burst into a run, trying to find his way around.

"No!" He cried as the people came closer. "Stay away!" He ran down the hallways, holding a fist to his hurting chest, which he realized was covered in bandages. He broke through a window, tucking into a roll. He screamed when he landed on his shell. When the white cleared from his vision. He realized that he wasn't in New York anymore, or on Earth for that matter. He stared out at the unfamiliar scenery with wide eyes. "Bros..." He whispered. "LEO! RAPH! DONNIE!" He screamed, crying out as arms encircled his. He kicked, bit, and clawed, crying for his big brothers. The strange people dragged him back to the bed he awoke in, and by that time, all the fight had been drained out of him. Michelangelo sobbed quietly as he heard the door lock, unfamiliar voices talking in strange tongues.


End file.
